Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Single Malt Report: Benromach Organic

Gordon & MacPhail was established in 1895 as an independent licensed bottling agent. In 1915, John Urquart became the company's senior partner and his family has run the business (from the original location in Elgin) ever since. With more than a dozen different bottling series (such as Connoisseur's Choice, The MacPhail Collection, Secret Stills, Private Collection, Speymalt, etc.) they remain one of the leading independent whisky botters. Their continuing success in the whisky business provided them with the means to purchase the mothballed Benromach distillery in 1993.

Benromach began distilling in 1898 (so it's actually younger than its current owner) and has been mothballed twice, in 1931 and 1983. It changed ownership a number of times in its youth, including four instances over forty years. It ended up in the hands of DCL (proto-Diageo) in 1953. As the whisky market underwent significant turmoil in the Eighties and early Nineties, DCL (then United Distillers) mothballed Benromach to stanch its losses. Then in an act very unusual for the company, DCL/United Distillers sold the distillery to Gordon & MacPhail. It took five years to get the distillery back in operation and it has been running ever since.

This particular bottling is Benromach Organic. First released in 2006, it was a noticeable effort to differentiate their brand in the Scotch whisky market. It was the first whisky to be fully certified organic. As per their website:

The whole process, including the use of the raw ingredients, distillation, maturation and bottling, is certified to the rigorous standards set by the UK Soil Association. The whisky is matured in virgin American oak casks from environmentally managed forests...

Virgin oak can impart an intense influence on a whisky. Thus I'd bet the malt here is very young; too much time in new oak can crush any sense of the original spirit.

WITH WATER
The nose leads with toffee and dark rum. Brown sugar, some malt, basic wood grains, and (since the nose can't technically smell "sweet") the illusion of sweetness. It's much simpler but still quite nice. The palate is like the nose, but more malt sneaks out once the water is added. There's still a bit of brown sugar and molasses sweetness with a snip of black pepper in the back. Whole lotta sweetness in the finish, in fact it's almost bourbony in its intensity. The black pepper lingers.

I liked this a lot. But my opinion isn't shared by everyone. Please keep in mind this one is a big sweetie. Untempered by previous fills of bourbon, sherry, or other malts, the oak does some serious syrupy stomping here.

On a side note, I'm a complete hypocrite. While I've often complained about the wood effect from first-filled sherried-European oak and occasionally griped about first-fill bourbon-American oak, I've found I really enjoy the wild character imparted by virgin American oak. Perhaps it's because it reminds me of the best parts of American whiskey, especially straight rye. I've found Bruichladdich's Organic Multi-Vintage whisky to be less sweet and more malt-forward than Benromach's, so that must have something to do with wood management. But I do like this one as a dessert whisky.

The reviews on this whisky are all over the map, so I recommend you take a look at these before you run off and try Benromach's Organic syrup whisky:

Yeah, the new oak imparts a ton of American character to it. Though a lot of the folks whom had negative reviews of this whisky are big bourbon fans. So I'm thinking there was some variation between batches.

If you can find it at a bar or a sample of it somewhere, it's certainly oaky. So much so, I'm not even sure what the normal Benromach style tastes like. :) But I'm definitely going to try more of their range now. That 10yr is usually priced well.

I think that Benromach are really up to something. Here are my notes from a recent tasting of the Benromach Origins (1999, batch #1). Not sweet, but some of the gold/dark notes that you mention are common:

Intractable at first, it needs time in the glass to open up. Very earthy nose, damp fall leaves on the ground, bees wax, and grain silo. Nice rich body, medium oily. On the palate a little sulphur, but as it opens up you get rich maltiness, with a dry, slightly bitter finish. Very interseting, certainly original! Also, good deal at 50%!

You're the first person I've known who's tried that one. Of the 3 batches so far, that Batch #1 sounds the best -- 9 years, Golden Promise, 1st and 2nd fill sherry casks. They seem to be having fun exploring at that distillery. I must investigate further...

Sherry casks? Had no idea - that explains the hints of sulphur... This was my first contact with Benromach in the form of a MoM sample. I'm still wrapping my head around all their Origins, Original, Organic, Ordinary, Origami, Traditional, Terroir, Trustworthy, and so on (I may have made up some of these). I also had a sample of their 10yo, and a full bottle is awaiting deployment. Much less demanding and at 43%,. I noted: very well-made and extremely enjoyable! Straightforward and not flashy, but very tasty! Same sort of solid, old-fashioned goodness as the Glen Garioch 10yo.

I guess that's the sort of no-nonsense that Gordon & MacPhail built their business on, I for one am very grateful to them for it.